September's IWSG optional question: What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?
I have always been on the Traditional Publishing path - get agent/editor; Agent pretties up the novel and finds publisher; publisher/agent handles media and advertising; big bucks roll in while I write the next book.
Anybody else start with that fantasy? How has that worked out?
I'm insecure about my writing abilities, so having someone else (ie Agent/publisher) say its good has always been necessary for my ego. After several years of Agent queries and not a single acceptance (I don't count the vanity press that cost me lots of dollars but taught me valuable publication lessons), I put the novel writing on the back burner and have been writing short stories which I submit to Publishers myself. None of these publications have been paid (though rejections have been sparse) and I am again questioning my "publication path."
Recently - like, over the last two to three years - I've been considering Inde Publishing. I'm not as confident in my writing skills as I pretend, so self pubbing is a scary prospect. And it comes with a lot of out of pocket expenses (huh, like the vanity press) for things like book cover art, professional editing, and publication fees; acres of promo work; and the ever present prospect of no revenue. Would anyone actually read it once its available on Amazon or other publishing sites?
I know, we authors write for ourselves, the sheer joy of creating a story. Well, that's starting to sound like a lot of bunk to me. I want people to read and enjoy my stories; and I want to get paid for it.
Really got to put the butt in chair and get the writing done before worrying over the publishing path though. As I stare up at my posted 2018 writing goals, I realize I haven't accomplished anything on the list. And, its already September.
As Vonnegut says in Slaughterhouse Five - "so it goes."
If you are ready to publish your polished story, and not totally ready for self publishing, visit Dancing Lemur Press, which also publishes the annual Insecure Writers Support Group Anthology . This year's genre is Young Adult Romance, with the theme Masquerade. Visit the Insecure Writers Support Group Home home page for news, updates and submission guidelines.
Please remember to visit and thank the IWSG founder Alex J Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts: Toi Thomas, T Powell Coltrin, MJ Field, and Tara Tyler.
